What channel helped you get your first 100 users after launching on Product Hunt?

I’ll share what worked for us to get our first 10-20 paying users(we were building a productized service business for AI startups, not exactly a SaaS but most distribution rules still apply):

Pre-launch

1. We shared our challenges and asked for feedback while building (design, user persona, pricing, marketing, basically everything).

2. Documented our build in public with small, consistent updates.

3. We helped others, stayed active, and built genuine relationships on Twitter.

4. We joined conversations where people were already talking about the problem we’re solving (F5Bot helped us track these conversations).

Soft launch

1. We created a no-brainer offer (70–80% discount) and reached out to potential users (we did it on X) for feedback.

2. We DM’d users from our previous product.

3. We engaged in relevant communities, supported others, and asked for feedback from our ICP.

4. 1:1 onboarding calls instead of just sending links. (we didn't do it bcz we were building a productized service and not saas but i think this will help u a lot)

About to launch

1. We promoted in communities of tools we used to build the product (we built our landing page with Softr).

2. We joined founder/creator communities we genuinely liked (mostly free, some paid).

3. We shared in “pitch your product” threads on Twitter (you can do the same on Reddit as well, no shame in it).

4. Engaged with the Product Hunt community (PH has forums where you can connect with people)

5. Launched on platforms like Product Hunt, BetaList, Hacker News, Tiny Launch, etc. Put some extra effort on Product Hunt and prepare for at least a week.

6. Published a few unique posts on Medium and LinkedIn targeting specific keywords. They index quickly and help with visibility.

7. Started blogging on our site (1 to 2 posts per week). Added internal links to improve SEO.

8. Submitted to niche AI/SaaS directories and platforms. If you don’t have time, I’m happy to help with submissions via Boringlaunch (I’m the founder).

Post-launch

1. We tried ads (didn’t work for us, but might for you).

2. We over delivered and asked for testimonials.

3. We shared small wins and learnings publicly.

4. We kept experimenting and doubled down on what worked.

Cross-launch (we did this after 20+ paying users)

1. We collaborated with founders and platforms that shared a similar audience.

2. We partnered with complementary products (bundles, cross-promotions).

3. Turned early users into advocates (discount codes, shoutouts, or revenue share).

4. Reached out to people who showed interest earlier but didn’t convert and followed up again.

P.S. The order can vary a lot depending on your product and audience, so adapt and experiment.

I think that it was a mixture of speaking about minimalist phone – sharing that information with the closest ones (so real connections), good ASO, and social media ads.

Genuinely asking myself the same question right now. I am launching on Product Hunt this Tuesday and have not hit 100 users yet.

What I am doing in the run-up: posting daily on LinkedIn, commenting in Product Hunt forums every day to build presence, posting in Facebook groups and being honest about the story behind why I built it.

The story seems to resonate most. Not the features. Not the price. The why.

Red Flag AI Pro is a marketing compliance scanner — built after I got personally ripped off one too many times. That angle is getting more traction than anything technical I post.

Ask me again on Wednesday how it went. 😄

Active now at a discount. Full launch Tuesday on Product Hunt. 🚩

The biggest post-PH lift I’ve seen is usually from turning the launch into a follow-up map, not treating it as a one-day channel.

A few useful buckets:

1. People who commented with objections → write the sharper FAQ / comparison page.

2. People who upvoted but didn’t sign up → ask what was unclear, not “please try it.”

3. Makers in adjacent tools → trade very specific feedback, because they understand the workflow pain.

4. Repeated phrases in comments → use those words in the next landing-page iteration.

So my vote is: community/comment follow-up first, then the niche channel where those exact phrases already show up. Reddit, directories, LinkedIn, etc. work better once the PH launch has told you which pain language is actually landing.

@wasil_abdal I think the best post-PH channel depends on what the launch teaches you. The comments and objections can become a map: what to explain better, which communities to test next, and which pain language actually resonates before you push harder on distribution.

Founder-led outreach worked better than anything else for me. Product Hunt gives the initial visibility, but the real traction usually comes from personally following up with people who showed interest and turning that attention into conversations.